TCHAIKOVSKY’S
.
TCHAIKOVSKY AND THE ROMANTIC ERA

He was a Russian born composer (1840- 1893)

Studied piano until he was 10 but was sent to a school that had no music

He studied law and worked for the Civil Service

At 22 he went to study music theory at St Petersburg Conservatory, where he graduated and became a professor at the college

At 37 he gave up teaching and became a full time composer

He struggled financially and was given support from a wealthy widow (who insisted the pair never meet-they exchanged over 1000 letters to each other)

He got married that year also but was divorced 1 year later

He was prone to bi-polar!! His moods went from elation to depression and he often spent months in introspective gloom and melancholy (he was human!!!)
 he loved to deal with themes such as “fatal love” and this is evident in this Romeo and Juliet Overture
 he died in 1893 under dubious circumstances: some say he committed suicide or was murdered. Others believe that he drank un-boiled water and died from Cholera…….autopsies????
Tchaikovskys style:
1.
He was very creative and loved to use different combinations of instruments
2.
He used lots of contrasting keys(and unexpected keys), tempi and textures in his music
3.
He like to write scale passages
4.
He used sonata form
SOME OF HIS FAMOUS WORKS INCLUDE:
Swan Lake Romeo and Juliet Overture
The Nutcracker Ballet sleeping Beauty
Along with 10 operas, overtures and symphonies

A BLUFFERS GUIDE TO ROMANTIC ERA TERMINOLOGY!!!
AN OVERTURE: THIS IS A PIECE OF MUSIC-USUALLY IN ONE
MOVEMENT THAT CAN BE HEARD BEFORE AN OPERA. THE
NAME OF IT USUALLY GIVES A CLUE ABOUT ITS CONTENT. AN
EXAMPLE WOULD BE THE 1812 OVERTURE
PROGRAMME MUSIC: THIS IS MUSIC THAT IS VERY
DESCRIPTIVE-IT TELLS A STORY OR DEPICTS AN IMAGE
SONATA FORM: THE MUSIC IS DIVIDED INTO 3 SECTIONS
(A) EXPOSITION: here the first subject (musical idea) is heard in the tonic key. It is usually a lively and strong theme. A transition ( bridge) usually brings the music from the tonic to the dominant key for the second subject.
This is usually in the dominant key or the relative minor. This melody is usually more melodious and smooth. Normally a codetta completes the exposition.
B (DEVELOPMENT): here, musical possibilities or ideas from the exposition may be developed and frequent modulation to new keys is often a factor. Fragments of new musical ideas (episodes) may be combined or set into opposition against one another. Strong feelings of tension, of dramatic conflict may be built up, reaching a climax, when the music purposefully makes for home-in the tonic key.
A (RECAPITUALTION): this is where the composer “recapitulates” or rehashes, in a slightly different form, the material from the exposition. The first subject is heard in the tonic key as before. The bridge passage is altered so that the second subject also appears in the tonic key.
The composer then rounds off the movement with a coda or tailpiece.

ROMEO AND JULIET OVERTURE:

Romeo and Juliet meet, fall in love and marry

They keep it a secret from their feuding families

Friar Lawrence is their only confidante
 He gives Julie a sleeping tablet to make her appear “dead”

He sends a message to Romeo to take her away but Romeo does not get the message
 He finds her “dead” and commits suicide by taking poison

She wakes up and seeing what has happened, kills herself with his dagger

The families unite at the end and realise that their fighting has caused this tragedy
There are three main themes:
Friar Lawrence theme- he is the peace keeper, the mediator. He represents the voice of reason and his theme is calm, rising and uplifting.
This theme becomes more insisting, agitated and demanding throughout the overture. This is illustrated through different instruments, pitch and accompaniment
The Strife theme: this represents the conflict between the 2 families.
It changes very little throughout the overture-it is almost like the stubborness of the feuding families (immovable)
The Love Theme: this is a long expansive melody that is full of emotion. It changes the most throughout the overture-changing instruments/length etc.
It shows how the love between Romeo and Juliet grows and matures against all odds, even after death.

Introduction:
Exposition:
Codetta
Development:
Recapitulation:
Altered
Final conflict
Coda: funeral March
Introduction:
HERE WE MEET THE j
3 TIMES: (Bar 1) y
FOR 1
ST
TIME (track 27)

Heard in the Bassoons and Clarinets

Hymn-like

Homophonic

Low register

TRANSITION
TRANSITION WITH

Theme in flutes and oboes

Contrapuntal

Higher register

Pizzicato strings

Scale passages
LINK PASSAGE WITH A VARIED
(bar 83)

Theme is in the woodwinds

Dynamics getting louder

Tempo getting faster

Tremolo strings

Timpani roll

Much more lively
EXPOSITION
In the exposition we will hear both the AND THE
1
ST
TIME WE HEAR THE
112-115)
: flutes and violins playing in octaves (bars

Homophonic texture (melody with accompaniment)

Loud volume Bminor

Repetition

Syncopation

Dotted rhythms

Fast tempo g
2
ND
TIME WE HEAR THE

D minor – G minor – B minor

Played as canon by cello and double bass and followed by piccolo/flute/oboe

Imitation at the octave and double octave

Distance of a minim

Canon is repeated a 4 th
higher


Because it is played as a canon…the texture is ?????
3 rd TIME WE HEAR THE

B minor – D major

Louder dynamics ff

Brass join in

Timpani more involved
: flute violin and trumpet
_____________________________________________________________________
Let’s listen to part one of
(track 41)
It is in D flat major (im missing a G flat on stave!.....sorry

)
: Cor anglais(English horn) and muted viola (con sordini) in unison

Key of D flat Major

Homophonic texture: melody on Cor anglais and viola with

Syncopated horns in background

Wide leaps 1 st
time

Pizz cello and double basses

Rising harp arpeggio
____________________________________________________________________
Lets look at now
: 1 st
violins…………track 42

Continuous crotchets

Homophonic texture

Strings are divided into 4 parts(div) and muted (con sordini)

Wide leaps 2 nd
time

Repeated notes


Gradually more instruments are added to thicken the texture

semi quaver scale introduction passage
Love theme in higher register in flute + oboe
Rocking quavers in the string accompaniment
: flutes and oboes in a higher register…………track 43

Love theme introduced by rising semiquavers in flute and oboe

Pizz cello and double bass

Rocking/Broken chords on violin and viola

No percussion

IS REPEATED exactly as the above but this time the
Clarinets join in with the flutes and oboes

Bass trombone joins in
A short Codetta brings the section to an end with the harp playing crotchet chords
DEVELOPMENT SECTION
In the development section, there are 2 themes: Friar Lawrence theme and The Strife Theme
They are representational of the feuding families and the calm voice of reason-the mediator
Friar Lawrence.
As the discussions heat up, the tension is continuously building up. By the final section of the
Recapitulation, with each repetition of these themes, frustration creeps in and this is evident in the composers choice of heavier brassier instruments instead of lighter woodwinds. Each

of the themes are raised by a semi-tone which may be symbolic of tempers/voice pitch being raised in an argument.
HERE WE HAVE BOTH WITH
(MEDIATOR) (FEUDING FAMILIES)
(track 45)
Bminor to F sharp minor

Horn (later flute/clarinet) 7 BAR BUILD UP 2 nd violin =strife rhythms
1.
No key signature
2.
Dialogue between strings/wood
3.
Lots of semi-quavers
4.
Pizzicato IN CELLO/D.BASS
5.
Polyphonic texture
6.
Sequences
7.
Staccato violins
2
ND
TIME (track 46)
G minor

Horns strings
Exact repetition
1.
3 note Semi-quavers idea across orchestra
2.
Sequences 326-330
3.
Crescendo
h 3 rd
time (track 47)
B Minor (rhythms)

Trumpets with orchestra accompanying

Syncopation in strife theme

Descending line in cello/tuba and bassoon

SECTION
STRIFE
STRIFE +
FRIAR LAW.
THEME
KEY
B MINOR
LOVE THEME
PART 2
D MAJOR
LOVE THEME
PART 1
D MAJOR
ALTERED
LOVE THEME
D MAJOR
B MINOR
C MINOR
C# MINOR
TRANSITION C#MINOR
B MINOR
BAR
353
368
389
419
441
462
TRACK
48
49
50
51
52
53




Repeat of strife theme (from bar 151) but now only 12 bars instead of 53 bars long
Played with full orchestra
Extra bar of strife rhythm in bar 361-363
Instead of link passage now its just 2 bars played by strings, in octaves, downward scale passage

 it is now in D major
 it is not preceeded by love theme part 1 nor is it slowed down
 it is initially soft but crescendos to a loud volume (in the exposition it was quiet throughout)
 the melody is played by oboes with semi-quaver accompaniment in the violins
 cellos enter with sustained pedal and woodwinds gradually enter in





D major and forte played by strings
Accompanied by triplet chords in wind section
Horns play a counter melody
Pedal note in bassoons, double bass and tuba
The bass drum accompanies the love theme

Cello and bassoon play love theme in imitation with flutes and oboe

Violins and violas play sextuplet semi-quavers (6 semiquavers for the price of 4

)

This is repeated a tone higher

Love theme is played in imitation between horns and flutes/oboes/clarinets

This is followed by final statement of the opening of the love theme


Motives from the strife theme played on piccolo, flute, trumpet, violin.

B minor

Accompanied by everyone else without cymbals

Friar Lawrence theme played in c minor by oboe, horn and trumpet

Repeated up semi-tone in c minor

Repeated up semi-tone in c# minor

C# minor to B minor

Strife rhythm

Loud drum roll brings recap to a close
BARS
485 - 510

FUNERAL
MARCH

LINK
PASSAGE

LOVE
MOTIF
FUNERAL MARCH (485-494) t34

THE CODA IS PLAYED AT A MODERATE TEMPO

BASED ON LOVE THEME

Double bass play repeated crotchets (pizzicato)

Timpani plays ostinato triplet rhythm

Love theme played on bassoon, violin and cello then on bassoon, viola and cello

LINK PASSAGE (494-509) t35

Mood of reconciliation and hope
LOVE MOTIF(509- END) t36

Violins and violas play short motif from love theme in octaves

Overture concludes with a loud drum roll on the rimpani with repeated B major chords played by full orchestra

Ends on the single note “B”…….no chord